Twisted by Cynthia Eden (Review) TBT

I had the lovely opportunity to have a guest post and excerpt from Cynthia Eden last month at this link.


Now, it is my pleasure to offer my review.




4.5 out of 5 stars

Twisted by Cynthia Eden is the tale of a search for a missing girl that involves the Last Option Search team (L.O.S.T.) but morphs into a far more sinister and complex case that threatens both those directly involved and the satellite people who are drawn in.  Emma Castille has managed to carve a safe niche for herself in New Orleans, until she gets drawn into a case that will require her to not only use her powers of observation but will also cause her to risk everything she values.  Dean Bannon has found a way to move on with his life and has found a new profession but he is still overshadowed by his past and his skepticism and distrust make it difficult to accept the attraction he feels for the woman who becomes pivotal to the case he is investigating, if he can keep her alive long enough.

There are some stories that draw you in and ratchet up the tension until you are wincing as the action unfolds yet can’t wait to find out how things will turn out.  This was one of those, and even better, it was filled with fascinating people who are multilayered, have plenty of demons of their own, yet have an ideal that coerces them to go on, despite the obstacles they encounter.  This story stands alone as a compelling and intense thriller that has lots of unexpected twists and turns, yet makes one intrigued enough to look for others in the series.  Although there were a few areas that were a bit illogical for me and a couple of areas of predictability, one becomes invested in the story so much that they don’t matter because it’s a great read.  Be warned, this is not a tale for those who are squeamish as there is a fair amount of blood and gore, but I definitely want to read the story that started the series and will be anxiously awaiting additional adventures involving these intriguing characters.

A copy of this title was provided for my honest review


First in the series:



Broken

Twisted by Cynthia Eden (Spotlight, Guest post, excerpt and GIVEAWAY) Tasty Book Tours

It is my pleasure to have a guest post by the talented Cynthia Eden...

Can You Read Me?

by Cynthia Eden

I have a confession to make…I’ve always wanted to be able to read people.  To be able to look at someone and pick up on all the unconscious “tells” that people give off to others.  I think it would be so much fun to understand all the secrets that people tried so hard to keep…but still managed to reveal with the wrong body language.

In my latest novel, Twisted, my heroine can “read” just about anyone.  She sizes up her prey in just a glance and can find all the secrets that people would prefer to keep hidden.  While doing my research to develop Emma Castille’s character, I picked up a lot of tips about how to read someone’s body language. I thought I’d share a few with you. (You may already be aware of these “tells” and some could be new.)

1.     Look for signs that indicate stress. Some usual “stress” signs include...a person rubbing his forehead or rubbing his hands against his thighs.

2.     People will stall…If you ask someone a question and instead of responding, she…clears her throat, glances away, bites her lip…then odds are good this person could be thinking of a way to lie…or this person just knows you aren’t going to like the answer that’s coming!

3.     Protect me. You know the little notch at the base of your throat? Right there as you angle down to your chest? If you see a woman touch that notch, she’s trying to protect herself. Your questions could definitely be putting her on edge.

4.     It’s all in the eyes…If a person’s pupils constrict, she is probably looking at something she doesn’t like—something that bothers her.  Cops will often show suspects pictures of their victims just so that they can watch their responses to those images. The eyes truly can be the window to the soul.

5.     Shoulders, baby, shoulders.  If someone is frustrated or exasperated—you’ll see the shoulders start to tense up.  If someone is relieved—those shoulders will drop. 

Do you have any particular “tells” that reveal your emotions? Please share them with me!

Thanks so much for checking out my post. Have a great day!

Best,

Cynthia Eden

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Twisted
Available 4/28/15

Blurb

In the second seductive Lost novel from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden, an obsessed Last Option Search Team agent goes looking for trouble—and finds her in the Big Easy.

Dean Bannon comes to New Orleans for one reason only: to track down a missing sixteen-year-old girl. That’s before he meets the drop-dead gorgeous con artist who makes him want to lose his legendary control.

With her past, Emma Castille doesn’t claim to be psychic. She just notices things other people don’t. Like the fear in a runaway’s eyes-or the pain in an ex-FBI agent’s heart. Her chemistry with Dean is blistering, but Emma follows her passion . . . not someone else’s orders.

Then a madman breaks into Emma’s home and leaves a twisted message: “You’re next.” Now Dean refuses to let her out of his sight until he pries every last secret from her full, sexy lips. And suddenly Emma’s aching to give him everything he wants.

Excerpt

“A reading …” he said. She almost shivered. The guy had one of those amazing voices that, once a woman heard it, she didn’t forget. Deep and rumbly. A voice made for darkness.

And sex.

She’d detected no accent in his voice, and Emma was very good at recognizing accents. Accents, habits, behavior—she noticed them all.

Like the way Dean Bannon had a habit of rubbing his jaw with his index finger and thumb. He did that when he was thinking. When he was annoyed, she’d noticed that a muscle flexed along the left-hand side of his jaw. And—

“Your name is Emma Castille.”

She leaned forward. “I can use the cards if you want. Some people like that part.” She actually did know what all of the cards meant, so she could shuffle them and give a reading, no problem. But she preferred to work in other ways.

“You’re not psychic.”

Were they back to that?

She put her hands in her lap. Emma didn’t believe in making nervous gestures. She didn’t believe in giving away anything at all with her body language.

“What you are …” Ah, now he did smile. Her father would have called it a shit-eating grin. The more PC term was probably a Cheshire cat smile. Whatever the name, that smile annoyed her. “What you are, Ms. Castille … is a criminal. A fraud.”

Maybe she should grab her chest and dramatically gasp. She didn’t. “Wonderful for you,” Emma said. “You pulled up a background report one me.” She let her eyes widen a bit. “It’s amazing just what one can find if a person knows how to use a search engine.”

A furrow appeared between his eyes.

“How about I say what … you are?” Emma asked him. “A washed-up FBI agent who snapped on the job. You held your control tight every single day, but the bad guys—they just didn’t stop, did they? You hunted them, you stopped them, and more appeared. While you were fighting the system, they kept coming, and the bodies kept piling up on your watch.”

He shot right back to his feet. The folding chair slammed down behind him.

“You and your father bilked desperate people,” he accused. “You told them you were psychic, that you could help find their missing children. And you—”

“We found them.” Two girls who’d vanished. They’d found them. “We just didn’t get to them in time.” And she would not go back to that place.

She motioned toward Manuel. He knew the signal meant he could take over her booth. There was no way, no way, that she was going to stay there with that prick while he slammed the most painful moments from her past in Emma’s face.

Manuel, pale, tattooed, with piercings in his lips and eyebrows, quickly claimed her spot.

Emma jumped to her feet. Muttered her thanks, and fled right past the guy she was starting to think of as Agent Jackass.

She pushed through the crowd. Wasn’t there always a crowd in Jackson Square ? And that was why she loved the place. It was so easy to vanish in a crowd. To be anyone.

The crowd closed around her.

To be no one at all.   

She hurried around the back of the cathedral. She knew the streets so well. Her home was close by. Emma would get inside and forget Agent Jackass.     

I’m being followed.

Emma stilled at the intersection. A horse-drawn carriage rolled by her. Voices called out.          

And he touched her.

Emma didn’t flinch. Didn’t scream. She looked down at the hand on her shoulder. “When a woman runs away from you, that means you need to stay the hell away from her.”

His hold tightened on her. “You and I aren’t done.”

She looked up at his face. Had she really thought the man was handsome? Annoying, that was all Dean Bannon was.

“I need to find that girl, and you’re the only lead I have so far.”

“Then you’re not a very good investigator.”

Ah, that muscle flexed in his jaw. Lovely.

GoodreadsLink

Goodreads Series Link

Buy Links:  Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo

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Author Info

 Award-winning author CYNTHIA EDEN writes dark tales of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, and IndieReader best-seller. Cynthia is also a two-time finalist for the RITA® award (she was a finalist both in the romantic suspense category and in the paranormal romance category). Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over thirty novels and novellas. Cynthia lives along the Alabama Gulf Coast. She loves romance novels, horror movies, and chocolate. Her favorite hobbies include hiking in the mountains (searching for waterfalls) and spelunking.

Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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GIVEAWAY


Rafflecopter Giveaway (Print Bundle of BROKEN & TWISTED, The Lost Series Books 1&2)


 a Rafflecopter giveaway


 Link to Follow Tour



 

Beyond Limits by Laura Griffin (Release announcement, interview, excerpt and GIVEAWAY)

I am SO excited to be able to share a few Q&As with Beyond Limits author, Laura Griffin


ELF:  Laura, Thank you for stopping by The Reading Addict to chat today about your new release in the Tracers Series, Beyond Limits.  For new readers, what is the Tracers Series about?

LG:  The Tracers are an elite group of forensic experts who help investigators solve their very toughest cases. The Tracers include all sorts of talented people: Mia the DNA expert, Ben the cyber detective, Kelsey the forensic anthropologist. The list goes on! I love writing about these people- not just their work but their tumultuous personal lives, too.


ELF:  Beyond Limits is the eighth in the Tracers Series, when you first started writing, let’s go as far back as Thread of Fear, did you have ANY idea that the Tracers would become what it is today?


LG:  I had no idea. Originally I had envisioned three books, but the series just kind of took on a life of its own. I would introduce a new character, then readers would ask for that character’s story. With each new book I love bringing in new characters and also catching up with people from past books.


ELF:  If you could have one of the field careers that pertain to the Tracer’s team, which would you want for a career?

LG:  Well, I’m fascinated by so much of what the Tracers do. You could say I’m a forensics junkie! I really love Mia’s job—she’s the DNA expert. I’m also amazed with all the tricks Ben has up his sleeve. He’s the computer expert who uncovers some key clues in Beyond Limits.


ELF:  I know you do a TON of research on the careers associated with the Tracers Team, do you have a favorite “research trip” that you can share, or the coolest thing you have gotten to experience for book research?

LG:  The fictional Delphi Center Crime Lab sits in the middle of a body farm. I’ve had a chance to visit one, and what they do there is so interesting (if you can get past being squeamish). It’s amazing to see all the ways that human bones can tell a story for investigators.  (note from ELF...true...but, ewwww)


ELF:  To date, which is your favorite Tracers novel and why? 

LG:  The books are all so different, so I don’t really have a favorite. I love Beyond Limits because the story really pushes these characters to their max—both in their jobs and their personal lives. Derek’s SEAL skills come into play, and Elizabeth’s sharp investigative instincts. But what I love most is their relationship struggle. Derek and Elizabeth have to work hard to find their happy ending.


ELF:  Is it difficult to come up with fresh ideas? 

LG:  I started out as a newspaper reporter, so I like to keep up with current events. I’m always getting inspired by headlines and news tidbits. And every time I interview a new law enforcement person or forensic expert the ideas start rolling in.


ELF:  What is the best part about writing Romance Suspense?

LG:  I like to read tense, exciting stories. With romantic suspense you have the sexual tension plus the action-adventure plot to drive the story forward. My favorite books are thrillers where you also feel an emotional connection to the characters. (note from ELF...and wow, do these books fill the bill!)



                                   

ELF:  I know you are working on the Hart & Moreno series with the fabulous Allison Brennen, and just released your first Hard Cover Suspense, Far Gone, and then of course we have Beyond Limits now released, so what are you working on currently?


LG:  I’m writing the next Tracers book, SHADOW FALL. This one features some of my favorite Tracers characters- Mark Wolfe, Kelsey Quinn, Mia Voss. The book’s hero is Mark’s brother, Liam Wolfe, an ex-Marine who runs a private security firm and finds himself being investigated for a brutal murder.


ELF:  Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

LG:  People often ask me if you need to read the Tracers books in order, and you don’t . Each story has a stand-alone mystery and a different romantic couple. So you can dive right in to the series!



ELF:  Thank you so much for stopping by to chat!!  Readers, don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter below to win a Tracers Book Bundle featuring Scorched and Twisted , they are great books in this exciting series!  My review for Scorched is at this link and for Twisted is at this link.

                                   



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Beyond Limits
The Tracers Series #8
By: Laura Griffin
Releasing January 27th, 2015
Pocket Books


Blurb

FBI agent Elizabeth LeBlanc is still caught in the aftermath of her last big case when she runs into the one man from her past who is sure to rock her equilibrium even more. Navy SEAL Derek Vaughn is back home from a harrowing rescue mission in which he found evidence of a secret terror cell on US soil. Elizabeth knows he’ll do anything to unravel the plot—including seducing her for information. And despite the risks involved, she’s tempted to let him. . . .

On the surface Derek’s offering a simple deal—Elizabeth provides him with intel, he delivers the terrorist. But he knows nothing about Elizabeth is easy, and now their volatile relationship threatens to distract him from the most important mission of his career. Together with the forensics experts at the Delphi Center, he and Elizabeth are closing in on the truth, but it may not be fast enough to avert a devastating impending attack . . . or stop a ruthless enemy from escaping to kill again.


Excerpt

“Vaughn, get over here.”

He followed a narrow corridor and almost stepped on a pair of legs jutting out from the wall. A young man was seated on the floor with his hands zip-cuffed behind him. He wore loose-fitting pants and high-top sneakers and was fifteen, max, but his eyes already had the flat, battle-hardened look of a warrior.

“Found him in the tunnel.” Sean nodded toward a passage that connected the house to who the hell knew what. The tunnel system here was like a rabbit warren.

Derek spotted a workbench littered with electrical wires, nails, several jars of black powder—all bomb components. He scanned the rest of the room, and his gaze came to rest on a large safe in the corner. It was a serious box, definitely imported, and would have been a major pain in the ass to get here.

Now Derek understood why he’d been called over. He glanced at the kid and tried to remember his rudimentary Pashto.

“What’s the number?” Derek asked in Pashto, because he didn’t know the word for “combination.”

The kid didn’t answer.

Derek pointed the stock of his gun at the safe. “Open it.”

The kid looked away, sullen.

“Screw this.” Sean reached for his kit and got out some C-4.

Derek stepped over to check for booby traps. He didn’t see any, but there was only one way to know for sure. Sean set a small charge, and they crossed to the other side of the room. The burst reverberated through the cavern, and they rushed back over.

“Damn, look at all this.” Sean pulled out a stack of papers, singed around the edges and still smoking. He flung it to the ground and stomped the fire out as Derek reached in and pulled out a notebook computer.

“Two minutes,” the CO said over the radio.

Derek cursed. Even with the extra minutes they’d built into the plan, they were running behind.

Sean was already pulling out his mesh bag, which they carried for this purpose. Some of the papers were in English, but Derek didn’t take the time to read them as he jammed everything into the bag. He reached in and snatched a thumb drive as Sean grabbed another batch of papers. Loose pages fluttered to the ground.

His teammate held up a sheet. “Hey, look at this.”

“No time to read. We need to move.”

“It’s a map.”

Derek glanced at it. It was in English, with notes scrawled around the edges. Derek scanned the street names. His blood ran cold. He looked at Sean.

“Guys, move it!” someone yelled down the stairs.

Derek glanced at his watch. They’d been on target way too long. He glanced at the kid. In a matter of hours, this house would be looted and abandoned. In a matter of minutes, this guy would be in the wind.

“On your feet,” Derek ordered.

Sean shouldered his pack. “They said no prisoners.”

“On your feet!”

The kid stood grudgingly, proving he knew at least some English. 

Sean shot Derek a look before taking the prisoner by the arm and propelling him toward the stairs.

Derek’s mind reeled as he looked at the papers strewn on the floor. He scooped up every scrap and checked the safe again to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, then threw his bag over his shoulder and raced upstairs. All the windows rattled as a Black Hawk swooped overhead en route to the landing zone. He glanced into the courtyard just as their EOD guy ducked out. He’d been setting the charge on the ordnance, and the look on his face told Derek it was about to blow.

“Hey, what are you doing here? Haul ass!”

Boom!

Derek dropped to his knees as the house shook. Chunks of debris rained down from the ceiling.

“Come on!” Derek yelled.

They sprinted outside, where the last member of their team was holding security by the door. A few neighbors’ lights had come on. People peered through windows and leaned out from doorways.

“Vaughn, where the hell are you?”

It was Luke’s voice over the radio, probably already at the LZ, which was a vacant lot at the end of the street.

“We’re half a click away.”

They double-timed it toward the landing zone, pushing the prisoner ahead of them.

“We got company,” Cole said over the radio as a truck screeched around the corner. It was packed with armed men and had a .50-cal machine gun mounted to the roof.

Derek grabbed Sean’s vest and yanked him out of the road. He pushed him down the alley leading to their alternate exfil route.

“Vaughn, report! Where are you?”

“Almost there.”

The street smelled like sewer water. Trash swirled in the rotor wash as they neared the waiting helo.

Rat-tat-tat.

The gunner on the truck let loose with the .50-cal. His buddies with AKs were well out of range, but that didn’t stop them from spraying bullets.

Derek rounded the building just in time to get a mouth full of dust. Mike was lifting the doctor into the chopper. Hailey had a SEAL on each arm, and they were practically carrying her, but she tore away from them and made a sprint for it. She flung herself onto the helo, and about a dozen hands reached out to pull her inside. Luke and Mike jumped in behind her.

Rat-tat-tat.

Derek and Sean ducked and sprinted while several teammates aimed over their heads and returned fire. The prisoner reached the helo first, and Mike pulled him aboard.

Rat-tat-tat-tat.

Sean crashed down behind him. Derek turned and hauled him to his feet. Noise drowned out the words, but Derek could read his friend’s lips and the panicked look in his eyes: I’m hit. Derek heaved him over his shoulder and stumbled forward. Bullets peppered the helo’s sides as Luke jumped down and helped lift Sean inside.

“Go, go, go!”

Derek grabbed the outstretched hands of his teammates as they seized his pack and yanked him aboard. His boots were barely inside when the Black Hawk lurched off the ground and lifted into the sky.

400 Pgs | Heat Level: 3

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes |iTunes | Kobo


Author Info

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author LAURA GRIFFIN started her career in journalism before venturing into the world of romantic suspense. She is a two-time RITA Award winner (for the books Scorched and Whisper of Warning) as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award (for Untraceable). Laura currently lives in Austin, where she is working on her next book. Visit Laura at her website or Facebook

Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


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GIVEAWAY


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here is the link for the rest of the tour


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My Review:

Beyond Limits by Laura Griffin is a thrilling suspenseful tale that follows the adventures of a SEAL, Lieutenant Derek Vaughn, whose successful hostage retrieval mission has unexpected repercussions which bring him back into contact with the FBI representative he’s been unable to forget for the past year, Agent Elizabeth Le Blanc.  Turf wars are nothing new, but when the FBI is having trouble pinpointing the threat which may wreak havoc in the States, Derek decides to not only pursue the woman who has haunted his dreams, but also to take matters in his own hands, no matter what the repercussions to his life or his career.


There are some stories that grab you from the first page and don’t let go until the very last word...and then you’re sorry to see them end.  This was one of those for me.  The first thought that I had, once I caught my breath, was that this should be made into a movie, because the scenes were so vividly portrayed that I had no problem picturing the action!  The rollercoaster ride of events kept me enthralled, as the threads of the story start out in multiple locations and get woven into a tapestry that forms an impressive picture of the various folks who work together to keep the country safe.  The relevance to recent events and the very real threats that are explored is counterbalanced by the intense heat and poignant challenges that characterize the interactions between the main characters.  It was delightful to get a glimpse of some of the folks from the Delphi center and there are a couple of secondary characters who definitely need to be followed further, so I look forward to reading more stories about them. 

A copy of this title was provided to me for an honest review, which has been submitted to Night Owl Reviews.

Exposed

Exposed  
by Laura Griffin is another of her wonderful romantic suspense tales.  I love the way the stories in this series intertwine with each other and that one gets glimpses of some of the other characters in the Delphi Center yet each storyline is distinct and explores different aspects of investigative technique.  If you would like to get a feel for this very talented author's writing style, her story, Nightfall, is available at no charge on Amazon (I am not sure for what time period).  Please click on the cover to be taken to the site.
         


I am also delighted that both of this author's titles, Scorched and Twisted, were nominated for a RITA Award for romantic suspense!  Well-deserved and I will be keeping my fingers crossed that one of them wins (although Scorched is one of my favorites and one of my relatively rare 5 star picks!).  My review for Scorched is at this link and for Twisted is at this link.

                                           





My review for Exposed is as follows:



Exposed by Laura Griffin is the exciting story in her ‘Tracers’ series that centers around photographer Maddie Callahan who supplements her CSI work for the Delphi Center with photography of personal and far happier events. A vicious mugging ensnares her in an FBI investigation that brings her to the attention of Special Agent Brian Beckman who finds himself fascinated by the prickly woman who has an exceptional eye for detail and very strong resistance to his brand of charm. The clock is ticking as the search for a kidnapped woman who seems pivotal to the FBI investigation continues and Maddie uses her formidable resources at the Delphi Center to aid Brian even as she rejects the pull she feels for the sexy agent. The issue becomes whether there is more danger to Maddie’s heart or her life as the search for the suspect intensifies but Brian is determined to find a way to protect both or die trying.

This exciting romantic suspense story provides yet another mesmerizing tale of the fascinating people who work out of the Delphi Center and do their investigative magic. As is common with books in this enthralling series, the action starts with a bang and intensifies throughout the story. One of my favorite characteristics of this author’s work is the breadth of information that she provides about the science and technology applied to solving crimes even as she supplies a wonderfully intense read. The contrast between the romanticism of photo shoots for prospective brides and the gritty aspects of documenting a crime scene is striking yet beautifully demonstrates the attention to detail required for each type of photograph. The past events that have shaped each of the main characters give intriguing depth to these complex characters who each are struggling against their own demons yet strongly attracted to one another. I love the gradual increase in intensity of the action and the suspense that ratchets up and warn that it is easy to get lost in this delicious read so don’t start it unless you have time to read the whole thing, otherwise you may not get a lot of sleep that night!

A copy of this exciting title was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

The review has been submitted to Night Owl Reviews.